Happy bright and shiny day, we do hope you have sunny skies wherever you may be.

We’ve loads to chat about so we shall get going immediately with more styles from Bridal Week. We begin with a gorgeous look from Carolina Herrera on the left, the gown on the right is by Romona Keveza.

Remember, the designs being shown are for Spring 2012, so you won’t be seeing them at your local bridal shop for some time to come. Next, an utterly stunning Monique Lhuillier (l), as well as a beautiful Reem Acra (r).

All of these dresses were part of a story in Women’s Wear Daily (subscription req’d.) about…drum roll please…. sleeves on wedding gowns! From that story:

“From barely there cap versions for traditional types to floaty caftan numbers — worn over a bikini, no less — for offbeat beach brides, sleeves are emerging as a major bridal trend for spring 2012.”

Be still, my beating heart. (For those wondering about the insane level of rejoicing, we have a mild obsession issue with the dearth of gown options available for those with less-than-stellar upper arms and shoulders; additionally we’re feeling validated by *the* fashion trade publication echoing the same sentiment we shared in this space on Tuesday. Oh my!)

The gown on the left is from the fab design minds at Fancy New York (we love those two and their retro designs), on the right we see a very foofy Vera Wang creation.

Your trusty scribe never ceases to be astonished at the number of stunning gowns shown at Bridal Weeks. We hope to share more styles when we have a tad more time available! (Dear Delusional Princess, about that ‘more time’ thing, this is going to happen…how? Is the Time Fairy making an unscheduled visit to The Prepatorium ? Is she bringing some magic pixie dust to help you stretch the hours? Hello?)

One other note about wedding gowns before we leave the topic: the latest word is that Kate Middleton is having not one, not two, but three wedding gowns made. From a story in The Telegraph:

In terms of royal decoys, it would be right up there with the plot of the Prisoner of Zenda. Kate Middleton, if rumours sweeping the fashion world are to be believed, has commissioned not one but three designs for her wedding dress to make sure no-one can second guess what she will be wearing on April 29.”

“Sources close to Miss Middleton have repeatedly refused to comment on speculation about the identity of the designer, but one thing they are happy to confirm is that the future princess is absolutely determined that the dress design will remain top secret until the big day.”

Hmmmm.

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We move now to a congratulatory note for our friend Sarah in Grosse Pointe (MI), proprietress of The Village Palm, the latest addition to the list of Lilly Pulitzer Signature stores. Tomorrow is the store’s official gala, and for anyone who might be anywhere near the Pointes tomorrow, the store is doing a very special event:

Village Palm

The immensely talented Paige Smith, Lilly print designer extraordinaire, will be at the store painting custom prints! Below we show a wall that Paige personally painted did at the Lilly store in Ardmore, PA.

Paige Smith Patterns blog

Paige created some of this spring’s most popular prints, including First Impression (top) and Calendar Girl (bottom).

The Let Them Eat Cake design from Paige was recently featured on the Lilly Blog, click here to read more.

Lilly Pulitzer Blog

Paige was also showcased by her alma mater, SCAD (Savannah College of Art & Design) in a story with another Lilly print designer, Paige is seen on the left in the photo below.

Our last bag is actually isn’t technically a tote, but it’s so darn cute we simply had to share it.

Radley London

That is the Port of Call bag from a princess fave, Radley London. The bag features Radley out on his boat under blue skies, it looks like smooth sailing for the handsome pooch.

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We leave you with two images from the tsunami in Japan. Below left you see people clinging to an antenna and to a handrail atop a building that was actually the roof of the Government Disaster Readiness Centre.

Shinichi Sato/AP Photo/Kyodo News via The Telegraph

On the right you see what – and who – survived. It turns out the tsunami hit more than 100 sites previously designated as ‘safe havens,’ evacuation points where people were supposed to go in case of an emergency.

I can’t wait to see what gown KM wears on her big day. I think having 3 growns made is brilliant on her part, it would certainly throw people off. I wish I could paint like Paige, or at least have her come paint some walls in my daughters room! Loving those Milly Canvas Totes!!

On a happier note – three cheers for the sleeves-back-on-wedding gowns trend; for my fall 2006 wedding, I wanted some & literally could not find a gown with them. Not one, and the salesladies I asked acted as if I’d requested a lizard be stapled to my gown. Sigh…would that I’d persevered & had something made like that stunning Romona Keveza.

Let us all hope for Japan. I bought an Alexis Bittar bracelet, the week all his revenues went to Japan. So, not wholly virtuous perhaps, but something. By the way, the Carolina and the Fancy dress are absolutely, completely, perfectly beautiful.

So many pretty dresses! Love the demure styles…I am all for a throwback to the classics and leaving a little something to the imagination! The devastation in Japan continues to shock and awe us and it is truly devastating all we can do is pray and offer our support in whatever way we are able. Thank you as always for a superb and well rounded post.

Oh Princess – This is Preppy 101 and the above comment that says “Mom” – I use that name when I comment on my daughter’s blog and forgot to change it. So from now on, just call me Mom if you wish :-)!! XOXO